OLIVIA ‘Babsy’ Grange, newly appointed minister with responsibility for culture and entertainment, has pledged to hit the ground running as she seeks to bring the entities under her stewardship in line with the Prime Minister’s mandate and the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) growth agenda.

When the Sunday Observer caught up with Grange on Friday, she was still in office after 9:00 pm bringing herself up to speed with the myriad of departments and agencies under her watch.

“Top of my list is putting the boards in place to govern the affairs of the agencies. They have a critical role to play in administering the vision and programs of the various agencies. That is critical and is at the top of my agenda after week one,” said Grange.

Among the agencies which come under Grange’s watch are the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), National Museum of Jamaica, National Gallery of Jamaica, Entertainment Advisory Board, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, and the National Commission on Reparations.

Grange further stated she is committed to the mandate from Prime Minister Andrew Holness that each ministry takes a stance as it relates to the growth agenda and the economy.“Over the years we have not taken advantage of the possibilities that exist for our music and culture. I am committed to ensuring that we maximize the vast potential for earnings in the areas of music, culture, entertainment and sports, which I refer to as physical culture.”

“Jamaica is at the center of world culture. We have given the world a religion in Rastafari, a music in reggae, and a cultural icon in Bob Marley. Over the years we have had international music hits and acts and some of the best writers. It is now time to monetize all that by looking at intellectual property rights and ensuring that all the earnings flows back into the country to boost the economy. This will have to be supported by all the necessary incentives and mechanisms on the part of Government to help the creative industries reach their potential,” she added.

Grange — who was also culture minister in the previous JLP Administration — also has plans to improve the quality of the independence celebrations in August, especially the grand gala which she revived when she took office following the 2007 General Election. She is also commencing the planning for Jamaica 55 — the observations of the country’s 55th anniversary of independence which comes up next year.

Olivia “Babsy” Grange

“ I am putting the secretariat in place shortly to plan for that milestone. We did not get the opportunity to execute Jamaica 50. My regret is that some of the legacy projects which we had planned for were not followed through, so we will have to plan these celebrations from now, “ stated Grange.

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